A sharp clash broke out in Parliament as Amit Shah and Rahul Gandhi argued during the debate on electoral reforms. Gandhi challenged Shah to “have a debate” on his press conferences about voter list issues. Shah refused and said he would decide the order of his speech, not the Opposition. Shah accused the Congress of double standards and claimed the first “vote chori” happened when Nehru was chosen over Patel. He also said Indira Gandhi changed the law after her election was struck down. Gandhi called Shah’s reply “defensive and fearful,” while Shah said he would not be provoked. (PC: X)

A new US rule asking H-1B and H-4 visa applicants to make their social media profiles public has caused panic among Indians. The rule starts on December 15 and lets consular officers check posts on X, Instagram and LinkedIn. Many fear extra delays and tough scrutiny. Visa interviews in Indian consulates, including Hyderabad and Chennai, have been suddenly cancelled and moved to March 2026. This has disrupted jobs, travel and family plans. The US Embassy warned applicants to follow their new dates. The State Department said the rule is needed for security checks and applies to all applicants. (PC: India Today)

Rahul Gandhi and Amit Shah clashed in the Lok Sabha during a debate on electoral reforms. Gandhi interrupted Shah’s speech and challenged him to a “debate” on his press conferences. Shah replied that he would decide the order of his speech and asked the Congress side to be patient. Gandhi later said Shah looked “defensive and nervous.” The clash came after Shah dismissed Gandhi’s claim of voter list fraud, saying the Election Commission had already clarified the issue. Shah said the Haryana address Gandhi cited was a large family property, not a fake house. (PC: HT)

A major probe has found that a sperm donor carrying a cancer-causing TP53 gene mutation fathered at least 197 children in Europe. Some children have already developed cancer, and a few have died. The donor passed normal checks, but up to 20% of his sperm carried the mutation linked to Li-Fraumeni syndrome, which gives a high lifetime cancer risk. The sperm was used in 14 countries. A small number of British women who travelled abroad for treatment have been informed. Experts say there is no global limit on sperm use and screening cannot catch every risk. (PC: BBC)

At a rally in Puducherry, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) aide Bussy Anand was cut off mid-speech when a female IPS officer snatched the microphone, warning “40 people have died.” The meeting was held under tight security and strict conditions — crowd size capped at 5,000 with QR-coded entries only — in response to the fatal 2025 Karur stampede. A man carrying a handgun was also detained at the gate, raising further security concerns. The rally, first since the tragedy, underscores continuing tensions over crowd-control and political mobilisation. 

A week before the verdict in the 2017 actress assault case, a signed anonymous letter claimed to know the outcome — naming which accused would be acquitted or convicted. The Kerala High Court Advocates’ Association (KHCAA) forwarded the letter to the Chief Justice, calling it a “serious breach of confidentiality” and demanding a formal investigation into how the verdict details leaked. The letter alleged the verdict in Dileep’s case was pre-decided: it predicted his discharge along with two others, with only six of the 12 original accused convicted. The episode has raised concerns about judicial transparency and the integrity of sensitive court proceedings. (PC: The Hindu)

HRDS India — a group linked to Vinayak Damodar Savarkar — named Tharoor as one of six recipients of their inaugural 2025 award. Tharoor responded that he only learned of the honour via media reports while in Kerala; he had neither given consent nor accepted the award. He described the public announcement of his name without his approval as “irresponsible,” and said he would not attend the award ceremony. Tharoor also criticised the lack of clarity about both the award’s nature and the organisation behind it. (PC: NDTV)

The Luthra brothers — co-owners of the Goa nightclub Birch by Romeo Lane — have filed for four-week transit anticipatory bail in a Delhi court, claiming they travelled to Thailand for work and are willing to return and cooperate with investigations. They denied running the club’s day-to-day operations, calling themselves only licensees, and argued they didn’t “flee,” but left for a pre-planned business trip before the tragic fire. The court, however, questioned the maintainability of their plea — since transit anticipatory bail typically requires appellant’s presence in India — and declined to grant interim relief, asking the state to respond. The plea comes as investigators, aided by Interpol Blue-Corner notice and passport-impounding orders, intensify efforts to bring the brothers back from Phuket to face charges in connection with the fire that killed 25 people. (PC: Reuters)

Cross-border fighting between Thailand and Cambodia entered a third day on December 10 2025 after a ceasefire collapsed, forcing more than 500,000 civilians to flee their homes on both sides. The renewed clashes — including artillery barrages and air raids — have killed at least 13 people so far. Thai authorities report over 400,000 people sheltered across seven provinces; Cambodia said about 101,229 were evacuated in five provinces. Despite pressure for peace, both nations blame each other for rekindling the violence, with no immediate sign of compromise. (PC: Al Jazeera)

The Luthra brothers have told a Delhi court that they are “also victims” of the Goa nightclub fire that killed 25 people. Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra fled to Thailand after the incident and later asked the court for anticipatory bail so they could return to India. Their lawyers said the club was run by partners and managers, not by the brothers. They argued that criminal blame cannot be placed on them as they were not present when the fire started. The court refused immediate relief and asked police to file a reply. The case will be heard again tomorrow. (PC: NDTV)